Blogs from Nogales, Arizona, United States, North America

THE LAST FIGHT On January 9, 1918 a detachment of Buffalo Soldiers from the Tenth Cavalry intercepted a group of Yaquis smuggling guns into Mexico through Bear Valley a few miles west of Nogales, AZ on the north side of the border. A brief engagement ensued in which the Yaqui leader was killed and ten of his rear guard was captured; the rest having safely escaped back home with their guns. It was the final armed conflict between American soldiers and Indians on our soil and it is not much of a surprise that it involved Yaquis. Those smugglers were returning to Mexico to resist usurpation of their land by General Alvaro Obregon. Yaquis had been fighting tyrannical rule by Mexico for 500 years. It began in 1533 when a Spanish ship arrived at ... read more

We arrived at Patagonia Lake State Park (PLSP) after an uneventful trip from Pendleton, Oregon. Day one we drove to Twin Falls, Idaho; day two we drove to Elko, Nevada; day three we intended to go to Laughlin, Nevada, but detoured to Boulder City when the highway was closed due to high winds and blowing dust. Our unexpected stay in Boulder City was very pleasant. We stayed two nights at the Elks Lodge which has nice rv facilities and spent one day exploring the town and seeing Hoover Dam. Our next stop was Casa Grande, Arizona, for two nights, where we washed the motorhome and the car, did laundry, grocery shopped, and generally got ready to spend the next 6 weeks far from all those nice amenities. We'll be at PLSP until December 1st, volunteering for ... read more

Hola from the border!!! I made it here safely...and with no major problems at all. In fact, traveling here was perfectly enjoyable...minus the 4:15am wake-up call! I've been catching up with Dave and Sue Thomas since I arrived in Nogales and tonight we'll be joining Dr. Pazos (my Mexican partner) and his family across the border in Nogales, Sonora for dinner. Yesterday Sue and I were able to meet with my Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) site coordinator, Brandon, and one of the other YAVs for lunch. It was exciting finally putting faces with names and talking about the exciting year ahead!! I will be in Tucson this Friday through next Tuesday for YAV orientation, so I'm pretty busy this first week here. I plan to explain my situation more in-depth once I return from Tucson, but ... read more